Getting Soaked

When I first arrived at this beautiful spot I knew that cellular phone service was not available. Since I need to be available for folks pulling in, I felt I needed quick access to the owners and to potential emergency situations. So I had a land line installed for the length of my stay.

By getting a land line phone I became a member of the town community – a new member. In a little while I was contacted by the “Welcome Service” here, and brought a goodie bag of coupons for the local restaurants, services, AND the hot springs.

Yesterday I took advantage of the first of the several coupons I received for the springs. It was a very warm day, and I had set an appointment for 3:00 p.m. for my ‘tour’ and springs goodie bag – two bottles of water and a permanent water bottle for refills.

At the particular springs I tried there are several pools of different temperatures ranging from 85 to 109 degrees. The pools are located along the river that runs through town and one can watch tubers, kayakers, and rafters floating downstream, as well as all those who are visiting at the springs.

I tried the 99 degree pool first – these are all natural springs so some would say the smell of them is offensive. They are all ‘disinfected’ by saline so the water has a ‘briney’ look, but it feels great! This first pool is fairly large and has seats along the back and standing room at the edge facing the river so one can watch the activity along the river.

The second pool I tried was 102 degrees, with a semi-circular waterfall cascading into it. The pressure of the water is very great under this waterfall, and it feels great pummeling one’s back, like water jets in a spa.

As I soaked I noticed the clouds building up, and felt it was soon time to leave. I had just left the second pool and was drying off when the first droplets of water began to fall. Before I was finished, it was fully raining. The wind picked up and before long very big drops were descending all over. I had found an umbrella beside another pool to wait it out, but eventually the wind caught the umbrella and took it from its stand. My cover was blown!

At this point I decided to get to the main building and wait out the rest of the storm. I went into the locker room and got myself ready to drive back home. By the time I’d finished there, the rain had stopped.

As I drove out of town some of the rain continued, and I saw this beautiful view before me. It’s odd that about a mile before the turn0ff to the RV park, the road was dry and dusty – no rain at all there. Maybe just a sprinkle, but certainly not like the downpour in town. This really is an awesome place to experience.